Thursday, 26 September 2019

My TV Alphabet Blogathon

Hi guys! Look who has emerged from the shadows of laziness and the doldrums of non-creativity to take part in a TV blogathon! My fellow chick with accent, Getter from Mettel Ray Movie Blog has come up with a new blogathon years after her Movie Alphabet Blogathon, something I had participated in when I had first discovered her awesome blog (P.S. Some of the picks have NOT dated well). I felt it was only right to take part in this blogathon as well.

I have become more of a TV viewer than a film viewer because of very many reasons and this was surprisingly difficult to make. I've tried to include as many of my favourite ever shows in any way possible, whether it be through a character or an episode. Getter has some cool rules in place too (might have not *fully* followed all of them...) which are:

So following the last command, here are my funnnnn picks for the TV Alphabet blogathon. Woooo!

#

30 Rock

One of the most meta comedies I have ever seen, I can't wait to rewatch it and fall in love with it all over again.

A

Agent Carter

My absolute favourite superhero show! Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter is beautiful, brave, vulnerable and kickass and her chemistry with James D'Arcy's Jarvis was just as superb. I really loved the setting and the female badassery that got to shine in this show and it is missed sorely!

B

The Book of Nora (The Leftovers S3x08)

The most perfect series finale I have ever seen- so good that it made the whole show that lead up to it even better in hindsight. Carrie Coon and Justin Theroux were just breathtaking in the episode and it tied up everything in this maddening and ambitious series so well.

C

Chandler (Friends)

He's simply the best and funniest part of probably the most famous show of our time. I'm rewatching the series again and Matthew Perry just kicks it out of the park with Mr. Bing every episode. Also I HAD to use a Chandler zinger for this, duhhh!

D

Doctor Who

One of my OG favourite shows that I have fangirled about in this blog a lot. I know I've only put two Doctors in the picture but everyone in New Who is lovely and it's a show that is equal parts amazing, hilarious and heartbreaking. Especially the last part. Pretty sure this is one of the reasons I love crying watching shows so much.

E

The Entire History of You (Black Mirror S1x03)

There are some truly epic Black Mirror episodes but for some reason this one has stuck with me the most. I think perhaps because this is the type of technology I most wish existed but then in true Black Mirror fashion, the episode explores how it can completely destroy lives- not because of some dystopian Skynet type world domination thing, but simply because of our flawed humanity. Both Toby Kebbell and Jodie Whitaker are great in it.

F

Fleabag

HOLY MOLY THIS FUCKING SHOW! I get giddy when trying to talk about how amazing and original and devastating and sexy and funny it is! And I tell everyone! Even before the stupendous second season which is one of the most perfect things to ever exist ever, I was a huge fan of goddess Phoebe Waller-Bridge's broken and fourth wall breaking protagonist Fleabag and all the equally flawed characters that inhabit her world. But then second season happened and HOT PRIEST happened and I have no words but to say that WATCH ITTTTTT!!!!!

G (Wild Remote Entry)

Gilmore Girls and The Good Place

Gilmore Girls is one of those personality-developing shows for me. I saw it in my formative years when all I wanted to be was Rory Gilmore and find a Jess Mariano to fall in love it (not gonna lie- still totally do). Of course, every character in this show is lovely (except Dean. I hate Dean) and it's just one of those shows I'll probably be rewatching till I die.

The Good Place is one of the most ingenious shows of our time. There are so many twists that take place that I've absolutely stopped trying to predict anything and I wait for all the new ways the writers will surprise and floor me. But that's not even the best part. Nor is its fantastic cast (D'arcy Carden, you infinitely talented being). My favourite thing about this show is how it actually cherishes goodness in people. I have started to really love pop culture that is about empathy and kindness and inclusivity and just being nice because that's really not our world anymore and The Good Place is exactly that. It's healing. And hilarious. I love it.

H

Hannibal

Probably my favourite looking show ever. Everything from the sets to Hannibal's suits to the food to the most incredible crime scenes- it was all stunning and singular. Of course the most gorgeous were Hannibal and Will themselves and their twisted romance.

I

Imperfect Harmony (Selfie S1x10)

RIP Selfie. You were gone before your time. The show, that was based on Pygmalion and starred the perfectly cast Karen Gillan and John Cho (put him in more romcoms, you cowards!) as the Eliza Doolitle and Henry Higgins of today, was really funny and sweet and could have been a great romatic sitcom. This episode was the big romance episode or so we had been led to believe but it ends up being something sadder and more beautiful, which is perfectly encapsulated in Gillan's poignant rendition of "Chandelier".

J

Jane the Virgin

Quite possibly my favourite TV show ever. If Gilmore Girls was crucial for teenage Nikhat, Jane the Virgin was one of the shows that gave adult Nikhat her voice and understanding of the world. Simply put, it is about love- between family, between lovers, between friends and also between a show and its audience. I am incapable of deciding what was the best thing about the show- its mercurial writing that went from comedy to romance to thriller in minutes, its stupendously talented cast lead by the magical Gina Rodriguez, or its gorgeous direction that captured both of its telenovella fantastical elements and real world issues equally and perfectly. The show had twists that would make Game of Thrones blush but it was never twists for twists sake but careful character work and well, character love. I LOVED the characters as if I knew them and was invested in them like they were my own people. It had a brilliant ending too. God, I will miss this show so much!

K

Knockoffs (Broad City S2x04)

Much like Jane the Virgin, Broad City was also a female led and voiced show that changed my perspective of the world and what stories can be about. Which is why I chose THIS episode to elucidate my point. An episode which features a funeral, an underground market for designer knockoff bags, a 'will they or won't they' moment and of course, as seen from the picture above, dildos and pegging- only Broad City could have done it and through it commented not only on modern day dating but also grief and ways people deal with it. It is also a rip-roaringly funny.

L

Late (The Handmaid's Tale S1x03)

Gosh, what a brutal and unforgettable episode. This is THE feel-bad series that shows us a world that could exist very easily today. Alexis Bledel is shattering in "Late", often just emoting with her enormous horrified eyes at every awful thing happening around her. Reed Morano's direction just got under my skin and never truly left. Wherever the series did go after it, this was an hour of terrifying perfection.

M

Mr. Bean

Before I sat down to make this list, I was very sure that I wanted to include one childhood favourite in it. Between Powerpuff Girls, Rugrats and Mr. Bean, Rowan Atkinson's taciturn comedy hero won. I have many precious memories attached to this show, that still holds up today because of Atkinson's complete immersion into this role of a bumbling, slightly malevolent but ultimately sweet fool. I honestly even love the movies. There's something about Mr. Bean, you know?

N

Ned and Chuck (Pushing Daisies)

I'm sorry but I can't choose just Ned! It HAS to be Ned AND Chuck because they are THE OTP, guys! I don't make the rules (Getter does but I'm sure she'll understand). Pushing Daisies is the most colourful and cute show about death ever and Lee Pace's Ned and Anna Friel's Chuck were the heart of it. Their doomed love story destroyed me many times over but I wish it had even more times because this show and this romance ended far too soon!! #BringItBack

O

Orange is the New Black

However many shows Netflix comes out with, it will never reach the heights of OITNB for me. The show opened up a whole world many of us didn't know about and showed us the inner lives of so many types of women- black, white, old, young, trans, gay, straight. It had its flaws but when it was good, it was the freaking best! It was daring and open and most importantly, constantly empathetic and so very human.

P

Parks and Recreation

Probably my favourite comedy show. I love the characters. I love the actors. Leslie Knope is a goddamn hero. Ron motherfucking Swanson is my dream bestie. Ben Wyatt is everything I want in a man. Jerry is, well, Garry. *in Billy Eichner's style* I JUST LOVE THIS SHOW SO MUCH, IT MAKES ME SICK!!!

Q

Quite Interesting aka QI

Fun fact: I'm a nerd. So yes, I love a quiz show where I learn facts and also get to laugh a lot. Thank you very much.

R

Run BTS

Guys, I don't know if you know this about me but I'm oh so slightly obsessed with BTS. Like, in case you still follow me on Twitter, I don't know if you noticed that AT ALL. Btw, thanks everyone who isn't an Army who still follows me. You guys are true friends :)

But anyways, I do really love the band and the members that form it. This is their variety show in which they usually have a topic and they play games or something around it. This is my ultimate comfort show at present. It's funny and sweet and I just love their friendship so much, it actually hurts my heart.

S (Wild Remote Entry)

Sherlock and Sharp Objects

Sherlock is another show I have written and spoken about a lot. Not counting its last disastrous season, the show was damn near faultless in my eyes. I do want to revisit it as an older, less impressed-by-sociopathic-men person but I couldn't possibly leave it out of this list. I loved all the performances, especially that of the leads Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. It was really stylish fun!

Sharp Objects was my favourite show of last year. I have never seen anything that put us in the headspace of its protagonist like it did. It was a horror show of the mind and the body. The acting across the board is fantastic. There are images from the show that are etched into my mind forever.

T

True Blood

Oh True Blood, you marvelous mess. I have a special place in my heart for this show, with all its zaniness and camp and nonsense. It was just so entertaining! The first 4 seasons were actually really good and even though it went so spectacularly off the rails in the later seasons, I couldn't stop watching! Also Pam and Eric forever.

U (Wild Remote Entry)

Unbelievable

This is from 2019 but I had to include it. The most feminist crime show I have ever seen, I was constantly amazed by the littlest details in it that set it apart. It is really infuriating but at the same time, it is hopeful. Merritt Wever is totally the stand out for me but all the performances are excellent.

V

Veep

Oh you acerbic wonder! There was so much to love about comedy-turned-documentary Veep but my absolute favourite thing about it was its insults. The crowning glory in my eyes was the following addressed to, obviously, Jonah: "You're Frankenstein's monster, if his monster was made entirely of dead dicks."

W

The Wedding (Outlander S1x07)

The most romantic and sexiest television episode/piece of art to ever exist. THE FEMALE GAZE, PEOPLE! Fuck me, you almost don't need to watch the rest of the show to watch this episode. It's so good!!

X (Wild Remote Entry)

Crazy EX-Girlfriend

I NEEDED to include this show somehow and I've not watched The X-Files or Xena so this I think was the best compromise. This was such a brilliant show. A musical romcom about mental illness! It was as funny as it was damning. The songs were especially genius, from "You Stupid Bitch" to "Let's Generalize About Men" to "Buttload of Cats". I feel like rewatching all of it right now!

Y

You're the Worst

The anti-romcom about the worst humans who are ultimately just that- human. Hilarious and devastating in equal parts, it reached such heights when it was firing on all cylinders.

Z

The Zeppo (Buffy the Vampire Slayer S3x13)

If you have seen this episode, you know why I chose this still and not of "the Zeppo" Xander. Xander was my least favourite thing about the show and yet I love this episode, which was a great example of Buffy at its finest. The show was so surprisingly experimental and concept driven and its best episodes were just that. OBVIOUSLY my favourite such episode is "Once More With Feeling" but I needed a Z :P

And that is it, folks! I hope you liked the list and please do check all the other entries from this brilliant Blogathon :)

YEY! You should post more, come on girl!!! Really love this post, Parks and Rec is just so lovely and always makes me laugh. And I am gonna watch Fleabag this weekend, Getter got me to do this and she will watch Barry 2 :)

Nice picks! I love Agent Carter. I don't even know how many times I've re-watched it. Chandler is my favorite FRIENDS character too. Not ashamed to admit I had a crush on him growing up. lol Oohhh, Ned and Chuck, I love them so much. It was a shame to get cancelled so early.

Love this! B – Oh god, that ending. I agree, that finale was a stunner. E – Love what you wrote about that episode. Couldn’t agree more.Love Fleabag, still need to watch Hannibal!T – I fell off with this show (I think I watched those first four good seasons, like you mentioned), but that picture has me dying.U – Unbelievable was my kind of show. So exacting and brutal. That fucking phone conversation when Collette told Eric Lange that Marie was indeed telling the truth... truly devastating.